Ionia - Teos

Ionia - Teos

Teos (Greek: Τέως; demonym: Τήϊος) or Teo was a maritime city of Ionia, on a peninsula between Chytrium and Myonnesus, colonized by Orchomenian Minyans, Ionians, and Boeotians. The city is situated on a low hilly isthmus. Teos ranked among the twelve cities comprising the Ionian League. It was a member of the Lydian group of the Ionian League, one of the four groups defined by Herodotus, based on the particular dialects of the cities. It was the birthplace of Anacreon the poet, Hecateus the historian, Protagoras the sophist, Scythinus the poet, Andron the geographer, and Apellicon, the preserver of the works of Aristotle.

Teos was a flourishing seaport with two fine harbours until Cyrus the Great invaded Lydia and Ionia (ca. 540 BC). The Teans found it prudent to retire overseas, to the newly founded colonies of Abdera in Thrace and Phanagoria on the Asian side of the Cimmerian Bosporus. The port was revived by Antigonus Cyclops; and Epicurus reportedly studied there under Nausiphanes, a disciple of Democritus. During the times of the Roman emperors, the town was noted for its wine, a theatre and Temple of Dionysus. These are positioned near the acropolis, which is situated on a low hill and had fortifications by the sixth century.